The natural sweeteners such as cane sugar and beet sugar are actually D-sucrose. These sweeteners are preferred because they are natural and because they provide the most natural and desirable sweetening taste.
However, for diabetics, and in recent times for use in dietary regimens, e.g. for the obese, it is necessary to cut down and reduce the intake of sugars. This has been most commonly accomplished by the use of artificial sweeteners such as saccharine. There have, however, been objections to the use of artificial sweeteners, and there has been constant research to find natural sweeteners to provide the sweetening effect without the calories.